Battle of Arsal

The Battle of Arsal occurred from 2 to 4 August 2014 during the Syrian Civil War. The battle, which was fought on Lebanese soil, occurred when al-Nusra Front and Islamic State Sunni Islamist fighters crossed the Syrian border and briefly captured the border town of Arsal, which was retaken from them after two days of combat.

Battle
On 2 August 2014, after Lebanese securiity forces arrested an al-Nusra Front commander, al-Nusra Front and Islamic State militants surrounded Lebanese Army checkpoints in Arsal and stormed the town's northeastern police station, taking 16 policemen hostage. The militants then proceeded to take control of the town, and, by 3 August, fighting between the insurgents and the military left 30 militants, 10 soldiers, and 2 civilians dead, while 25 soldiers were wounded and 13 captured. By 4 August, the death toll had risen to 17 soldiers, 50 civilians, and 50 militants. The military advanced and recaptured the technical institute building, and the town was heavily shelled from multiple directions. al-Nusra Front forces then retreated into the town, and a 24-hour ceasefire started that evening. By 7 August, a fragile truce was established as IS forces retreated from the town to the Syrian border, and their hideouts were subsequently bombed by the Syrian Air Force, wounding dozens of their militants. On 9 August, the Lebanese Army entered Arsal in full force, re-establishing control over the formerly-lost checkpoints and securing Arsal for the government.